Death Note (デスノート Desu Nōto?) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and manga artist Takeshi Obata. The main character is Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernaturalnotebook, the “Death Note”, dropped on Earth by a shinigami (a god of death) named Ryuk. The Death Note grants its user the ability to kill anyone whose name and face they know, by writing the name in the notebook while picturing their face. The series centers around Light’s attempt to create and rule a world “cleansed of evil” as “God” using the notebook, and the efforts of a detective known as L to stop him.

Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankōbon format in Japan starting in May 2004 and ending in October 2006 with a total of twelve volumes. The series was adapted into live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, November 3, 2006, and February 2, 2008. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for Nintendo DS.

Viz Media licensed the Death Note manga in North America and has published all the twelve volumes from the series, a 13th volume which serves as a “reader’s guide”, as well as the light novels. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable by IGN. Viz later licensed the anime series and it aired on Bionix. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters since 2008. However, none of the video games have thus far been published in North America or Europe.

To date, it is the twenty fourth best selling manga series of all time from Shōnen Jump at total sales of 26.5 million copies.[1]

Plot summary

Light Yagami is an intelligent young adult who resents all things evil. He also wishes to end crime in the world and create a utopia in which he reigns supreme. His life undergoes a drastic change when he discovers the Death Note, a notebook that contains five written instructions:

The human whose name is written in this notebook shall die.

This notebook will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

There are other rules that are revealed as the story develops, usually in the form of chapter title pages. After several experiments with the Death Note, Light realizes the notebook’s authenticity and encounters the previous owner, a shinigami called Ryuk. Light explains to Ryuk his plan of exterminating all the criminals in the world, until there are only people who he has judged to be honest and kind. Once he finishes this, he will begin his reign as the god of this new world.

Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of criminals catches the attention of the International Police Organization and the world-famous detective, “L“. L quickly learns that the serial killer, publicly known as “Kira” (キラ?, derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the word “killer“), is located in Japan and can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and begins a cat and mouse game with L.

Light attempts to create an alibi by helping L and his investigate team track down Kira. His plan is impeded by a second Kira, famous modelMisa Amane, and her shinigamiRem. Misa and Light meet and work together, and become increasingly suspected by L. To save themselves from execution, Misa and Light temporarily relinquish control of their Death Notes—erasing their memories of the shinigami and the notebooks—and are placed under constant surveillance by L.

During their detention, a third Kira under the employ of the Yotsuba Group appears. Light and Misa are freed when it becomes apparent that they are not responsible for the murders of Yotsuba’s rivals. The investigative team infiltrate Yotsuba and discover the third Kira is Yotsuba member Kyosuke Higuchi and attempt to capture him. Upon Higuchi’s capture, Light regains ownership of the Death Note “just as [he] planned” and kills Higuchi, while the investigative team learn of the Death Notes and shinigami. Light completes his complex plan by manipulating Rem into killing both L and herself. Light becomes the “new L” upon L’s death, and continues a charade of searching for Kira.

The narrative continues four years later, with Kira attracting a large network of contacts and a swell of public support. Two children, Near and Mello, raised by L’s former guardian Watari to follow L’s legacy, serve as antagonists to Light: Near as an independent detective; and Mello as a member of the Mafia. Mello’s first action to oppose Kira is to kidnap the director of Japan’s National Police Agency, and after his murder, Light’s sister Sayu, to use as a bargaining chip to obtain the Death Note. Light’s task force recapture Sayu and learn Mello’s real name after Light’s father Soichiro trades half of his remaining life to Ryuk for the ability to discover anyone’s names, but Soichiro later dies of gunshot wounds.

Concurrently, Near and several members of the task force begin to suspect Light of being Kira. In response, Light persuades Misa to give up her Death Note and raises another “Kira”, Teru Mikami, a prosecutor and fervent supporter of Kira. Mikami kills Kira’s former spokesman for being greedy and recruits Kiyomi Takada, a newscaster and Light’s former girlfriend, to replace him. Mello returns and kidnaps Kiyomi, who manages to kill Mello with a hidden Death Note piece. Light then makes Kiyomi commit suicide to prevent her from implicating him, but Mikami, unaware of Light’s actions, attempts to kill her with his own Death Note. Near reveals that he replaced Mikami’s notebook with a fake, and by the names written in it is able to prove Light is Kira. In desperation, Light tries to use the last Death Note piece in his watch to kill the rest of the task force, but Matsuda shoots him several times. Realizing Light has lost, Ryuk uses his Death Note to kill Light with a heart attack, which is a part of their original agreement.

Production

The Death Note concept derived from a rather general concept involving Shinigami and “specific rules.”[2] Tsugumi Ohba wanted to create a suspense series because he did not feel that he could have created a fight-style series and that the genre had few suspense series. After publication of the pilot chapter the series was not expected to be approved as a serialized comic by the author who did not consider it to “fit with Jump.” Ohba said that when he learned that Death Note received approval and that Takeshi Obata would create the artwork he “couldn’t even believe it.”[3] Due to positive reactions, Death Note became a serialized manga series.[4]

“Thumbnails” were created incorporating dialog, panel layout, and basic drawings, and were sent to the illustrator. The editor reviewed the thumbnails and sent them to the illustrator (Obata) with the script set in stone and the panel layout “mostly done.” Obata then determined the expressions and “camera angles” and created the final artwork. Ohba concentrated on the tempo and the amount of dialogue, making sure that the text was as concise as possible. Ohba commented that he believed “reading too much exposition” would be tiring and would negatively affect the atmosphere and “air of suspense.” Significant artistic license was given to the illustrator who worked on basic descriptions, such as “abandoned building”,[5] and this extended to the design of the Death Notes with Obata possessing free rein. Obata originally thought of the books as “‘Bible-like’…something you would automatically think was a Death Note.” He also felt this design would seem “difficult to use” and instead opted for an easy-to-use college notebook. At a later point the concept of Death Notes looking different from one another, depending on the human era (such as Death Notes in ancient Japan looking like scrolls and Death Notes in medieval Europe looking like The Old Testament) was conceived.[6]

When Ohba decided on the plot he internally visualized the panels while being on his bed, drinking tea, or walking around his house, needing to feel relaxed while visualizing the panels. On many occasions the original draft was too long and needed to be refined various times before the desired “tempo” and “flow” for the chapter was finalised. The writer remarked on his preference for reading the previous “two or four” chapters carefully to ensure consistency in the story.[2]

The typical weekly production schedule consisted of five days for creating and thinking and one day using pencil to insert dialogue into rough drafts; after this point the writer faxed any initial drafts to the editor. The illustrator’s weekly production schedule involved one day with the thumbnails, layout, and pencils and one day with additional penciling and inking. Obata’s assistants usually worked for four days and Obata spent one day to finish it. Obata said that sometimes he took a few extra days to color pages and that this “messed with the schedule.” In contrast, the writer took three or four days to create a chapter on some occasions, while on others he took a month. Obata said that his schedule remained consistent except when he had to create color pages.[7]

Ohba and Obata rarely met in person during the creation of the serialized manga; instead the two met with the editor. The first time they met in person was at an editorial party in January 2004. Obata said that, despite the intrigue, he did not ask his editor about Ohba’s plot developments as he anticipated the new thumbnails every week.[3] The two did not discuss the final chapters with one another and they continued to talk with the editor. Ohba said that when he asked the editor if Obata had “said anything” about the story and plot the editor responded ‘”No, nothing” [laughs].’[5]

Ohba claims that the series ended more or less in the manner that he intended for it to end; he considered the idea of L defeating Light Yagami with Light dying but instead chose to use the “Yellow Box warehouse” ending. According to Ohba the details had been set “from the beginning.”[4] The writer wanted an ongoing plot line instead of an episodic series because Death Note was serialized and its focus was intended to be on a cast with a series of events triggered by the Death Note.[8]13: How to Read states that the humorous aspects of Death Note originated from Ohba’s “enjoyment of humorous stories.”[9]

Ohba said that a theme that he wished to express throughout the series was that, “no human has the right to pass judgement on another’s actions. No one should play god.” He said that he intended Death Note to push an ideology about good and evil, and that Near’s statement in Volume 12 about deciding right and wrong came about from his own personal belief.

When the writer was asked, during an interview, whether the series was meant to be about enjoying the plot twists and psychological warfare, Ohba responded by saying that this concept was the reason why he was “very happy” to place the story in Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Ohba was also asked what he considered the most important thing in Death Note, and he responded by saying, “the human whose name is written in this note shall die”; in contrast, Obata responded to the same question by answering “impossible to say.”[7]

Pilot chapter

The Death Note process began when Ohba brought thumbnails for two concept ideas to Shueisha; Ohba said that the Death Note pilot, one of the concepts, was “received well” by editors and attained positive reactions by readers.[4] Ohba described keeping the story of the pilot to one chapter as “very difficult” and he said that he remembered it took over a month to begin writing the chapter. He added that the story had to revive the killed characters with the Death Eraser and that he “didn’t really care” for that plot device.[10]

Obata said that he wanted to draw the story after he heard of a “horror story featuring Shinigami.”[3] According to Obata, when he first received the rough draft created by Ohba, he “didn’t really get it” at first and he wanted to work on the project due to the presence of Shinigami and because the work “was dark.”[10] He also said he wondered about the progression of the plot as he read the thumbnails, and if Jump readers would enjoy reading the comic. Obata said that while there is little action and the main character “doesn’t really drive the plot” he enjoyed the atmosphere of the story. He stated that he drew the pilot chapter so that it would appeal to himself.[10]

Ohba brought the rough draft of the pilot chapter to the editorial department. Obata came into the picture at a later point to create the artwork. They did not meet in person while creating the pilot chapter. Ohba said that the editor told him he did not need to meet with Obata to discuss the pilot; Ohba said “I think it worked out all right.”[3]

Anime adaptation

Tetsuro Araki, the director, said that he wished to convey aspects that “made the series interesting” instead of simply “focusing on morals or the concept of justice.” Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer, agreed with Araki and added that, in anime adaptations, there is a lot of importance in highlighting the aspects that are “interesting in the original.” He concluded that Light’s presence was “the most compelling” aspect; therefore the adaptation chronicles Light’s “thoughts and actions as much as possible.” Inoue noted that, to best incorporate the manga’s plot into the anime, he “tweak[ed] the chronology a bit” and incorporated flashbacks that appear after the openings of the episodes; he said this revealed the desired tensions. Araki said that, because in an anime the viewer cannot “turn back pages” in the manner that a manga reader can, the anime staff ensured that the show clarified details. Inoue added that the staff did not want to get involved with every single detail, so the staff selected elements to emphasize. Due to the complexity of the original manga, he described the process as “definitely delicate and a great challenge.” Inoue admitted that he placed more instructions and notes in the script than usual. Araki added that because of the importance of otherwise trivial details, the notes became crucial to the development of the series.[11]

Araki said that when he discovered the Death Note anime project he “literally begged” to join the production team; when he joined he insisted that Inoue should write the scripts. Inoue added that, because he enjoyed reading the manga, he wished to use his effort.[11]

Media

Manga

The Death Note manga series was first serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump published by Shueisha in December 2003. The series has since ended in Japan with a total of 108 chapters. Later, the individual chapters were collected into twelve separate tankōbon. In April from 2005 Death Note was licensed for publication in North America by Viz Media,[12] and the first English-language volume was released on October 10, 2005.[13] In February 2008, a one-shot special was released. Set two years after the manga’s epilogue, it sees the introduction of a new Kira and the reactions of the main characters in response to the copycat’s appearance.[14] Several Death Noteyonkoma (four-panel comics) appeared in Akamaru Jump. The yonkoma were written to be humorous. The Akamaru Jump issues that printed the comics include 2004 Spring, 2004 Summer, 2005 Winter, and 2005 Spring. In addition Weekly Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005 included some Death Note yonkoma in a Jump Heroes Super 4-Panel Competition.[10]

In addition, a guidebook for the manga was also released on October 13, 2006. It was named Death Note 13: How to Read and contained data relating to the series, including character profiles of almost every character that is named, creator interviews, behind the scenes info for the series and the pilot chapter that preceded Death Note. It also reprinted all of the yonkoma serialized in Akamaru Jump and the Weekly Shōnen Jump Gag Special 2005.[15][16] Its first edition could be purchased with a Death Note themed diorama which includes five finger puppets inspired by Near’s toys. The five finger puppets are Kira, L, Misa, Mello, and Near. In North America, 13: How to Read was released on February 19, 2008.[17] As of February 2011, the manga is being re-released in omnibus format, dubbed “Black Edition”.[18][19]

Anime

The Death Note anime, directed by Tetsurō Araki and animated by Madhouse, began airing in Japan on October 3, 2006, and finished its run on June 26, 2007, totaling 37 twenty-minute episodes.[20] It begins in the year 2006, instead of 2003. The series aired on the Nippon Television network “every Tuesday at 23:34”.[21] The series was co-produced by Madhouse, Nippon Television, Shueisha, D.N. Dream Partners and VAP.[22]

In North America, the series has been licensed by Viz for residents in the United States to use “Download-to-Own” and “Download-to-Rent” services while it was still airing in Japan. This move is seen as “significant because it marks the first time a well known Japanese anime property will be made legally available to domestic audiences for download to own while the title still airs on Japanese television.”[23] The downloadable episodes contain the original Japanese audio track and English subtitles,[24] and is available through IGN‘s Windows-only Direct2Drive service.[25] DVDs of the series are also being released,[24] containing both an English dubbed audio track, produced by Ocean Productions, and the original Japanese audio track with optional English subtitles.[26] Viz announced at Anime Expo 2007 that the first DVD was officially released on November 20, 2007, in both regular and special editions,[27] and also confirmed at Comic-Con International 2007 that the first 15,000 copies of each DVD contains collectible figures.[28]

Death Note was slated to make its North American television premiere in Canada on YTV’sBionix programming block on September 7, 2007;[29] however, the show was removed from the schedule at the last minute.[30] The Canadian premiere was pushed back to October 26, 2007, at 10:00 p.m., when it finally premiered. Death Note premiered in the U.S. on October 20, 2007, at 11:30 p.m. on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim,[31] until January 10, 2010, when the contract expired.[32] The last episode aired on Canada’s YTV channel on July 4, 2008, and on Adult Swim two days later. YTV took away the show on July 5, 2008, with the last airing being the last episode rerun at 1:30 a.m. ET, as part of YTV moving the Bionix block to a 2-hour only block on Saturdays.[33] The show also streamed online for free on Adult Swim Video, with a new episode available every Saturday afternoon, on the day of its broadcast premiere.[34]

A two-hour animated Death Note Rewrite: Visions of a God’ (DEATH NOTEリライト·幻視する神 Desu Nōto Riraito: Genshisuru kami?) TV special aired on Nippon Television in Japan on August 31, 2007, at 8:00 p.m. It is a recap which takes place after the series end, where a Shinigami approaches Ryuk in the Shinigami realm in order to learn more about the human world. Instead, Ryuk tells him of all the events leading up to the last story arc, about Light Yagami and his rival L. Originally, this special was advertised as a retelling told from Ryuk’s point of view, but it does not give a different point of view from what was originally told. However, it contains updated dialog, as well as a few new scenes.[35]

The Japanese broadcaster NTV aired the Death Note: Rewrite: L’s Successors (Death Note Rewrite: L o Tsugu Mono) special on August 22, 2008. Like the first special, this new compilation summarized a part of the 2006–2007 television anime series. Specifically, it recounted the final half of the suspenseful supernatural story, including the investigators Near and Mello’s confrontations with the vigilante Kira.[36] This version features more updates than the previous one, most notably omission of the mafia plot.

Soundtracks

Several soundtracks for the series have been released. The music from the anime was composed by Yoshihisa Hirano and Hideki Taniuchi, while the CDs were also published by VAP. The first one was Death Note Original Soundtrack, which was released in Japan on December 21, 2006. It contains music from the series with the first opening and ending themes sung by the Japanese band Nightmare in the TV size format.[37]Death Note Original Soundtrack II was first released in Japan on March 21, 2007. It features the new opening and closing themes by Maximum the Hormone in the TV size format.[38] The third CD, Death Note Original Soundtrack III was released on June 27, 2007. The tracks 1-21 were composed and arranged by Taniuchi, while the tracks 22-28 were composed and arranged by Hirano. The album features one track sung by Aya Hirano, who was also the Japanese voice actress of Misa Amane in the anime series. Also appearing on this soundtrack is the ending theme Coda〜Death Note, which can be heard at the end of the final episode of the anime as the credits are shown.[39]

Several soundtracks have also been released for the live action films. Sound of Death Note is a soundtrack featuring music from the first Death Note film composed and arranged by Kenji Kawai. It was released on June 17, 2006 by VAP.[40]Sound of Death Note the Last name is the soundtrack from the second Death Note film, Death Note the Last name. It was released on November 2, 2006.[41]Death Note Tribute is a tribute album dedicated to the live action movie for the Death Note film. Published by BMG Japan on June 21, 2006 Japan, it contains 15 tracks performed by various artists, such as Shikao Suga, M-Flo, Buck-Tick and Aya Matsuura. The soundtrack came with a cosplay Death Note notebook.[42] Another tribute album is The Songs for Death Note the movie〜the Last name Tribute dedicated to the second film. Published by Sony Music Entertainment Japan on December 20, 2006, it contains 14 tracks performed by various artist, such as Orange Range, abingdon boys school, High and Mighty Color, Doping Panda and Galneryus.[43]

Light novels

A light novel adaptation of the series has been written by Nisio Isin, called Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases. The novel was released by Shueisha on August 1, 2006.[44][45] It serves as a prequel to the manga series, with Mello narrating the story of L’s first encounter with Naomi Misora during the Los Angeles “BB Serial Murder Case” mentioned in volume 2 of the manga. Beside Naomi’s character, the novel focuses on how L works and one of the criminals L has to chase down. Insight was given into Watari’s orphanage and how the whole system of geniuses such as L, Mello, Beyond Birthday, Matt and Near were put to work. Viz released the novel in English on February 19, 2008.[46] The film L: Change the World was also adapted into a light novel with the same name on December 25, 2007 by “M”,[47] While the novel is similar to the movie, there are many significant changes to the plot (for example, Near is not a Thai boy, but the same Near that appears in the manga). It also reveals more information about L and his past. Viz released it on October 20, 2009.[48]

Video games

A Death Notevideo game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo DS, titled Death Note Kira Game (デスノート キラゲーム Desu Nōto Kira Gēmu?), was released on February 15, 2007.[49]Kira Game is a strategy game where the player takes on the role of Kira or L. These are just titles, as any character can be Kira or L. The player will attempt to deduce who their enemy is (Kira will try to uncover L’s identity and vice versa). This will play out in 3 phases: Investigation, where the player will discuss the case and clues with other characters; Voting, where each member of the investigation team casts a vote on who they suspect is L or Kira based on the player’s performance in the previous phase; L/Kira, where the player can either focus their investigation on one member to see if they are Kira (L part) or force a member off of the team (Kira part).[50] A sequel to the game, Death Note L o Tsugumono (デスノート Lを継ぐ者 Desu Nōto Eru o Tsugu Mono?, literally “Death Note: Successors to L“), was released in Japan on July 12, 2007. The storyline is based on the second part of the manga, featuring characters such as Mello and Near.[50]

A third game, L the Prologue to Death Note -Rasen no Trap- (L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -螺旋の罠- L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Rasen no Torappu-?, literally “L the Prologue to Death Note: Spiraling Trap“), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on February 7, 2008.[50][51] The player assumes the role of a rookie FBI agent who awakens in a strange hotel and attempts to escape with the help of L, who provides assistance via an in-game PDA. The story is set before the Kira investigation in the original series.[51]

Live-action films

Death Note was adapted into a series of live-action films in 2006. The first 2 films were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko and the third was by Hideo Nakata and produced by Nippon Television, CG production of all three films were done by Digital Frontier and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. The first film, simply titled Death Note, premiered in Japan on June 17, 2006 and topped the Japanese box office for two weeks, pushing The Da Vinci Code into second place.[54] The first movie briefly played in certain North American theaters on May 20–21, 2008[55] The film was broadcast in Canadian theaters for one night only on September 15, 2008. The DVD was released on September 16, 2008, one day after the Canadian showing.[56] The sequel, Death Note: The Last Name, premiered in Japan on November 3, 2006.[57] It was featured in U.S. theaters in October 2008.[58] A spinoff from the films named L: Change the World was released in Japan on February 9, 2008. It is focused on the final 23 days of L’s life, as he solves one final case involving a bio-terrorist group.[59] Two dubbed versions of the film were shown in the United States on April 29 and 30, 2009.[60]

United States live action film

Death Note has been optioned for a live-action Hollywood remake. A 2007 article in The Star (Malaysia) states that more than ten film companies in the United States expressed interest in creating a remake. On April 30, 2009, Variety magazine announced that Warner Bros. acquired the rights for the Death Note manga to be adapted into a live-action movie in the United States. Warner Bros. has hired screenwriters Charley and Vlas Parlapanides to adapt the manga into a screenplay. On January 13, 2011, it was announced that Shane Black, the director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, has been hired to direct the film, with the script being written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry.[61][62] Warner’s studios planned to change the background story of Yagami, into one of vengeance instead of justice, and also the removal of Shinigami. But Black opposed this change, and it has not been green-lit.[63]

Reception

As of June 2006, Death Note had sold around twenty million copies in Japan.[64] On December 31, 2008, Comipress reported that the twelve volumes from the series had sold 26,500,000 copies.[65] It was also nominated for Best Manga at the 2006 American Anime Awards but lost.[66][67] In 2007, the first three volumes of Death Note were on the American Library Association‘s 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten list.[68] On ICv2’s “Top 10 Shonen Properties Q2 2009”, Death Note was the third best manga property from North America.[69] During January from 2007, Oricon made a poll in which they asked Japanese fans from manga and anime which characters from any series they would most like to see in spinoff series. The overall winner from the poll was L, who also ranked first in the women’s poll and second in the men’s poll.[70]

Anime News Network (ANN) writer Zac Bertschy noted that the difference between Death Note and other manga from the same genre was very big due to the murders the main character (Light Yagami) commits as well as how he hides his identity of Kira. Although Bertchy mentioned some readers from other shōnen would be surprised with the dark themes of Death Note, he praised the series for its “great art, great story, compelling characters.”[71] Julie Rosato from Mania Entertainment found the story to be very entertaining, having liked Light’s development in the story and L’s introduction as well as how the latter starts suspecting of the former’s identity. Additionally, he praised the story as it is “building a climax” with each detail introduced in the first chapter, making the reader to look forward to upcoming chapters.[72] Briana Lawrence from ANN liked the series’ ending as most of the characters from the story were “given a chance to shine” and due to the fact the notebook and other aspects from the series had little importance in the focus of Death Note and now they play a more important part. However, she did not like how the epilogue made no mention of what happens with Misa Amane and how Near and Mello were still treated like parts of L.[73]

Douglas Wolk of Salon said that a rumor circulated stating that the creators intended to create Death Note to last half as long as its actual run & Ohba and Obata had been persuaded to lengthen the storyline when Death Note’s popularity increased, noting that the rumor “makes sense, since about halfway through the series, there’s a point that seems like a natural ending”. In addition he said that fans wrote “thousands” of Death Notefan fiction stories and posted them on the internet.[74]

The anime was also commented with Tom S. Pepirium of IGN saying that Death Note‘s “heavy serialized nature” is what “makes the show so engaging and discussion worthy.”[75] Pepirium, saying that translating Death Note is “no small task,” said that Stephen Hedley created a dub with “nothing clunky.” Pepirium added that Karl Willems, director of the dub, assembled a “stunning voice cast of professionals” with a “solid tone minus some of the cheesy yelling and screaming of other dubs.”[76] John Powers of the NPR show Fresh Air finds the show “addicting” and equates its similarity to the American TV series Lost.[77] It was also listed as the 51st best animated show in IGN’s Top 100 Animated Series.[78]

“Running over thirty-seven 20 minutes episodes, the anime sticks much closer to the manga so takes a far more languid approach to storytelling, better fleshing out the fantastic characters of Light and his nemesis, L. Light in particular is one of the most layered characters to appear in anime in a long time. –Hyper[79]

The novelization L: Change the World became the second top selling light novel in Japan during 2008.[80] A.E. Sparrow of IGN reviewed the novel Another Note and gave it a 9.5 out of 10. Sparrow said that the author understood “what made these characters click so well” and “captures everything that made the manga the compelling read that it is.” Sparrow said that fans of Death Note who read Another Note will “find a welcome home” in the Nisio Isin’s work that “adds a few more fun layers” to the Death Note franchise.[81]

Banning by People’s Republic of China

Early in 2005, school officials in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province (People’s Republic of China), banned Death Note.[82] The immediate cause was that students had been altering notebooks to resemble Death Notes and then writing the names of acquaintances, enemies, and teachers in the books.[83][84] The ban was designed to protect the “physical and mental health”[85] of students from horror material that “misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and spirit.”[86]Jonathan Clements has suggested that the Chinese authorities acted partly against “superstition” but also against illegal, pirate publishers of Death Note.[87] The ban has been extended to other Chinese cities including Beijing,[85][88] Shanghai and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.[89] Legally published Chinese language versions of Death Note are published in Hong Kong and in Taiwan.[87]

Copycat crimes and imitations

A Death Note

There have been various copycat crimes around the world which were based on Death Note. On September 28, 2007, two notes written with Latin characters stating “Watashi wa Kira dess”, [sic] or “I am Kira” (私はキラです watashi wa Kira desu?)[90] were found near the remains of a Caucasian male in Belgium. The case has been called the “Mangamoord” (Dutch for Manga Murder) in Belgian media. However, except for the Japanese quotes from the manga, there were no parallels with the killings in the manga, therefore it does not really qualify as a copycat killing. It more looked as if the quotes were intended to divert police investigations. The two killers have been found and brought to justice. [91]

A senior at the Franklin Military Academy in Richmond, Virginia, United States was suspended after being caught possessing a replica “Death Note” notebook with the names of fellow students.[92]

In South Carolina, U.S. in 2008, school officials seized a “Death Note” notebook from a Hartsville Middle School student. District officials linked the notebook to the anime/manga. The notebook listed seven students’ names. The school planned a disciplinary hearing and contacted the seven students’ parents.[93]

In Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. two sixth grade boys were arrested for possessions of “Death Notes” that listed names of several staff members and fellow students. According to Etowah County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Lanny Handy, the notebook was found the previous afternoon by a staffer. The students were suspended from the county’s schools. The students, their parents, and school officials had met with Handy and a junior probation officer.[94]

In Gig Harbor, Washington, U.S. one middle school student was expelled and three were suspended on May 14, 2008 for having their own “Death Note” books.[95]

In Illinois, U.S. a middle school student was suspended for two days around May 2012 after being caught carrying a mini version of the “Death Note” book with fellow students’ names inside. The student claimed it was a joke and the people whose names were written agreed to that claim.

^ Beveridge, Chris (2010-07-27). “Death Note Black On Tap”. Retrieved 2011-11-22. “Starting in February of 2011, the new Black Edition versions of the series will contain two volumes of the series in on volume with slightly oversized trade paperback sizes that will have black trim.”